Tales of Xillia: Rise of Xanadu
by WrestleCrazyGamer
Summary: Spyrite research has been perfected. Jude and Milla were able to be together bringing peace between humans and Spirits. Their son has a stable job. What could go wrong now of all times? *On hiatus*
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 01: Maximillian Mathis

Long ago, before humans even knew what Spirits were… Origin and Chronos built in secret even from Maxwell himself a contingency plan should the trial be completed and humanity wage war on Spirits. It was evident after seeing Lugher's bond with Elle, and how strong his friendships were with his allies, that it was not needed. So it was deactivated, and hidden in a dimension between this world and the next. There it lay dormant… but not incapable of being abused if it were somehow found.

In the human world, mana was regenerating at an astounding rate with Spyrite research reaching completion. After five long years, Milla was able to return to the human world without a time limit. In fact, many Spirits were able to manifest in the recovering world, including ones no one had ever seen before. There still remained tension between Rieze Maxia and Elympios, and Spirits were also still in that mix. Rieze Maxia assured Elympios that the Spirits meant no harm, as most simply wanted to play. Elympios people had a hard time believing this, having had no proper contact with Spirits in a very long time. So Jude Mathis decided to find a way of showing them besides examples that Spirits come in peace. Alvin joked that he could always marry Milla, the Lord of Spirits, as a "display of peace".

Jude of course got flustered and barked at Alvin, but Gaius got a thoughtful look. In fact, he even started to grin, which made Muzet giggle knowing exactly why he was grinning.

"No, that's actually a very good idea, Alvin. It's been done all the time amongst royalty to keep two kingdoms at peace, or to appease tensions between two opposing factions." Gaius reasoned.

"Yes. A wedding would be killing two birds with one stone." Muzet complimented.

"Would it?" Milla asked, and everyone shot a grin toward Jude making him flinch turning red.

"C-Come on guys…" Jude complained trying to hide his embarrassment.

"What? You don't want to marry me?" Milla asked.

"T-That's not it! It's just, sudden, you know…?" Jude reasoned in a panic.

"Jude. You've known Milla for years now. Why so nervous now of all times?" Gaius asked with a smile.

"Yeah, Jude, why so nervous?" Teepo teased.

"It's just… I wanted the right atmosphere to ask her… romantic, and not just brought up out of the blue…" Jude admitted slumping over, and Milla blushed with a smile.

"You humans and your romance. You could have proposed to me in the middle of the street and I'd still have said yes, Jude." Milla laughed.

"So it's settled. Jude's going to marry Milla…" Leia chuckled.

"Question is, should they get married in Elympios or Rieze Maxia? Both kingdoms have different marriage laws and customs." Alvin asked.

"Why not Marksburg? That's between the kingdoms, right? It'd technically be getting married in both Elympios and Rieze Maxia." Elise suggested.

"A fine idea." Rowen complimented.

"We'll need a representative of Elympios there too if we're to create peace, especially if I'm representing Rieze Maxia." Gaius stated.

"Why not Ludger? He holds a pretty high place in Elympian society as CEO of Spirius. I'm sure he'd love to get a break from his office, too." Leia suggested.

"Then we need to contact Elympios's government to get it arranged." Rowen nodded.

"Wonder how mom and dad are going to react… I'm getting married and it's apparently going to have a huge impact on the world." Jude laughed nervously.

"I've always been curious about human marriage rituals. Now I'll actually be participating in one as well. How exciting…" Milla pondered with a smile.

With a plan of attack, it was time to begin getting everything settled with Elympios. Ludger was more than happy to oblige the invitation on Elympios's behalf. It was getting the committee to agree to the terms of the marriage that was tricky. Of course, Rowen believes if Ludger weren't a heavy hand on their decisions it'd have been much more difficult to accomplish. Ludger was glad to see Rowen again after so long as well. Once things were finished there, it was on to preparing for the wedding.

A full three weeks after the planning, it was time at last. Everyone gathered at Marksburg where a grand stage had been set up just for the wedding. After much debate, they decided that it would be Rieze Maxian style. Jude and Milla were dressed in ceremonial robes beautifully decorated with flower patterns and a dragon on each. When the two wearers walk beside one another the two dragons appear to be grasping one another's paw while touching snouts showing unity and intimacy between the two. Milla left everyone speechless as she approached the altar. The ceremony began and Milla couldn't stop looking at Jude out of the corner of her eye, and saw he was looking back with a smile plastered on his face. After the usual long-winded speech... it was time…

"Jude Mathis, do you take this Spirit to be your lawfully wedded wife? To care for her in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" the priestess asked.

"I do." Jude replied staring into Milla's eyes.

"Milla Maxwell, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To care for him in sickness and in health, until death do you part?" the priestess asked.

"I do." Milla replied.

"If anyone objects to the unity between the bride and groom, speak now, or forever hold your peace. By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." the priestess spoke, and Milla about made Jude fall over when she leapt onto him to kiss him.

Bells went off as the two walked down the aisle and the guests applauded happily. They entered a coach and it took them away to a home in Rieze Maxia that Ludger had Spirius build weeks in advance, with Gaius's permission of course. Milla couldn't stop staring at the ring on her finger, and Jude couldn't stop looking at Milla. This day marked the beginning of their life together.

The home they arrived to had two floors not including the basement. It was already furnished and had plenty of supplies for power and water. It was a convenient jog from a nearby town as well, so shopping for groceries wouldn't be a problem. Milla liked the bed most of all. She'd never seen one so big before. Jude was just glad it had breathing room. In fact, the entire house seemed built ready to easily house a child or two. The thought of children with Milla brought a blushing grin to Jude's face as he thought about it. Then Milla grabbed him pulling him into the bedroom where she became lord of more than just Spirits.

Subsequently Milla discovered what pregnancy was. Jude thought she knew and was fully aware, so they both learned an important lesson that day. Jude was genuinely shocked when Milla began to laugh, reveling in the experience of it despite meaning she can't fight until the child is born. Jude gave a sigh and decided if Milla's going through with becoming a mom, he may as well get ready to become a dad too. So they told the others the news, and had a very positive response. Gaius and Alvin were already pitching names back and forth while Elise and Leia wondered about if it would be a boy or a girl. Rowen was curious to know what the product between a Spirit and a human would look like. Milla has the appearance of a human, but she is still a Spirit.

Time seemed to fly by as Milla's belly grew. Eventually they were able to get an ultrasound in Trigleph and found out that Milla was going to have a boy. Joy spread across the world of Spirits that seemed to translate into unprecedented mana growth in the human world. Muzet was sure to visit Milla and Jude often. Nothing could hide her excitement to be an aunt.

Sure enough, soon Milla went into labor and have birth. This was the birth of baby Maximillian Mathis. His hair was black like Jude's and had inherited the Milla Bang. There was an odd star-shaped birth mark on his sternum as well. He was labeled healthy after all the necessary checks, and three days later they could bring him home. Alvin and Gaius attempted building a crib for them, but in the end Rowen and Ludger had to take it apart and reassemble it. Milla spent almost every minute at the crib staring down at their newborn with a motherly smile. Jude had to teach her how to change him, though he had to do so while fighting the urge to laugh at Milla's panic when she couldn't figure out why he was crying.

As little Maximillian began to grow a little he showed a remarkably large learning curve. He figured out shapes near immediately with his toys. Of course, as a toddler he had his share of silly moments and accidents that'd require a bandage or two. He seemed to really like high places as well, often climbing Gaius like a mountain to sit on his shoulders. Gaius didn't mind it at all, thinking fondly of when his sister was a toddler.

Jude's work at Helioborg kept him away for most of the day, leaving Milla to look after Max with occasional help from Elise, Leia, or Muzet. Alvin, Rowen, and Gaius managed to stop by once in a while too. Milla actually liked being a stay-at-home mom. For once she didn't have to travel around the world swinging her sword shedding blood. She could relax, and spend time with her new family. Milla relished teaching him to walk and how to talk. Any time she could she'd get a photo of Jude with him, and liked taking family photos on family outings.

Max started picking up the habit of mimicking adults around him when he was three. Much to Jude and Milla's horror, he began to take a liking to examining monsters. Despite how outdoorsy he was, Max lacked in the athletic department so he could only really go chase slower monsters. Of course, that became a problem when he began attending school. His inability to perform in gym kept docking him points, so they took him to Helioborg to have him evaluated. The routine health checks said he was healthy as could be… until they took a look under his hood scanning his vital organs.

According to what they found, his mana lobe was showing almost twice the normal activity it should be at his age. This was producing excessive amounts of mana within his body, and it isn't currently capable of handling it causing his body to suffer from exhaustion. Jude and his staff immediately set to work developing a device to safely release excess mana from the body without causing pain or discomfort to the wearer. Four months later, they came up with the Mana Ring. It was designed to be small, stylish, and very efficient at stabilizing the mana levels in patients. The development of a prototype took a week, and so did every other prototype. The final product, that accomplished the desired specifications, was successfully made six months into the project.

Max slid the ring onto his left hand, and the small veins in the ring began to light up signifying that it was working. Two and a half days later, remarkable improvement was seen from Max. Jude had to personally write a letter to the school district explaining why he must keep the ring on, even when he's out of gym class, but it was worth it to see Max able to play at the same level as the other kids. Every now and then as Max began growing they'd had to make a bigger ring for him to wear. Max had grown so accustomed to the ring that he began to enjoy wearing rings and jewelry. After turning thirteen he got his ears pierced for the first time with purple star-shaped earrings, picked out by Elise who was more than happy to help him get the piercings in the first place.

All through high school Max took studying very seriously. He wanted to be an inventor. He studied for long hours every day, earning him the nickname "Bookworm" among his classmates. In fact, he'd practically given up social interaction in favor of learning everything he could to get ahead. His grades were so good that he was asked by a prestigious college in Trigleph to attend, even offering to waive the tuition costs for him. After a ton of urging from his parents, Elise, Alvin, and Rowen, he accepted their offer and would attend there after high school.

He proved to be even better there as well. His studies even led him to skipping two years. A company by the name of Daimon Tech offered him an internship for his remaining year, and a full-time position once he graduated. Even Gaius showed up to congratulate him on his successful education. Max was glad everyone was cheering him on, but still felt a little awkward when working with people almost three times his age at the company.

After graduation, much to Max's surprise, he was hired not as an assistant but as Head of Material Research. He could be in charge of examining potentially new metals and minerals and determining what uses they could have through experimentation. From there he could propose inventions utilizing the new materials. Max couldn't ask for a better job. He loved it, and the solid paycheck allowed him to move to Trigleph so he'd have an easier commute to work. His life seemed on the fast track to being fun and full of inventions.

End Chapter 01 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 02: Thanatos

It was an exciting day for Max. He had made a breakthrough with a mysterious metal found deep inside of Leronde's mine. His experiments found that it was almost 50% more durable than Damascus, and almost twice as light as steel. It could absorb heat up to 3,000 degrees as well, but if it reaches the 8,000 range the metal becomes volatile. The number of uses for it seemed endless, and he'd be presenting it at one o'clock.

As it approached eleven-thirty, Max decided it wouldn't hurt to step out and grab lunch at the mess hall. He made sure all of his notes and experimentation results were in one neat stack in a black suitcase where they couldn't be damaged and would be safe until he presented them. He then went into the hall toward the elevator when a woman in all black with a lab coat on bumped him in passing.

"Excuse you…" Max sighed as she continued on, and made his way to the mess hall.

After a while it was time, and he was already prepared. The Committee of Invention Affairs arrived, and it was show time. He began with his initial findings as the specimen in the tank began to fidget turning the water red. Max didn't seem to notice as he continued to present his findings. Once the metal starts to flicker a bit one of the committee members raised their hands.

"A question?" Max asked.

"Yes… is the metal supposed to do that?" they asked, and Max looked immediately going pale.

"Everyone out of the room now, it's going to blow!" Max commanded and they fled as it began glowing brightly.

Max grabbed the case with his research and made for the door seconds too late as it exploded. Several shards of glass and the metal itself made horrible injuries on him. Soon after a full-scale investigation went on to find out what exactly happened as Max was taken for treatment. When asked, Max willingly turned over his research to help determine what made it explode. While the investigation went on, Max was to remain at home.

Days seemed to go by as he waited. All of a sudden on the eighth day several explosions occurred in Daimon Tech's main building. No one seemed to understand it, except for Max. Someone was using his notes to use the metal as a means for terrorism. He got permission from his boss to seek out the sources in the building, and would be prepared the following morning.

The next morning it was cold outside. Max bundled up and headed over to Daimon Tech. All the way there he saw cold looks on people's faces. Had he done something wrong? He continued nonetheless. Then he reached the building.

It began to snow as he dropped his bag seeing the annihilated building he once called work. He walked toward it in disbelief, and walked through what remained of the halls. It was after entering the CEO's office, or what remained of it, that Max found how the explosions could have gone off in secure sectors… on the floor, partially buried in ash and dirt… was his Clearance Card, which grants employees access to the secure sectors of the building. He could only remember the woman that bumped into him. How could he have been so careless? How could he have failed to notice his Clearance Card was gone? It was indirectly his fault…

Slowly he left the building and saw a pale young woman with very long dark purple hair standing there. She wore an armored eastern outfit and wielded a scythe. She stared coldly with amethyst eyes.

"You humans are always looking to destroy one another aren't you?" she spoke.

"Who are you?" Max asked.

"Thanatos, Great Spirit of Death. You are Maximillian Maxwell…" Thanatos spoke.

"Maxwell? Sorry, my last name is Mathis. I mean, Maxwell is my mom's maiden name, but she changed it when she married dad." Max explained.

"So you do not deny you are the son of Maxwell… and the Heir of Spirits." Thanatos growled.

"Heir of Spirits? What are you talking about? I may be half Spirit, but I'm in no way in a position to succeed mom." Max told her.

"You must die to save this world!" Thanatos roared leaping at him forcing him to roll to the side.

"W-What's wrong with you?!" Max exclaimed in fear as he stood.

"If you don't die… they will have a means of reactivating that machine of world destruction." Thanatos growled readying to charge again.

"Oh… so… you're crazy!" Max exclaimed sprinting away forcing her to chase him.

Max made for the port. There was no way she could pursue him on a boat without attracting the military's attention. He vaulted the barrier and skillfully leapt over crates and leapt at the departing ship barely managing to catch the railing as Thanatos swore after him from the dock. Max pulled himself onboard and sighed relieved. He didn't know where the boat was going, but it had to be better than where that psycho could get at him.

Soon the ship arrived at Leronde Seahaven and he safely got off. Luckily for him the sailors were very understanding of the situation and didn't charge him for being a stowaway. Max then spotted a very familiar face talking with some people. It could only be Alvin, no one else wears a "stylish" scarf like his. He waited until he'd finished conversing to approach him.

"Well, well, Maxie. What brings you here?" Alvin asked with a smile.

"Long story short… my work literally exploded and a woman with a scythe came after me forcing me to jump a ship here." Max sighed.

"Yikes. Sounds rough. If you were legal I'd buy you a drink." Alvin joked.

"My work has a prohibition rule we have to exhibit, so even if I was I'd have to decline." Max laughed.

"Well, you look exhausted. Why don't we take you to see your grandparents?" Alvin smiled.

"You'll only be seeing the afterlife." A voice called, and Alvin pulled Max out of the way of Thanatos's scythe in the nick of time and fired at her making her backflip evading it.

"She followed me?!" Max exclaimed.

"So this is the crazy scythe lady, huh? Don't you worry… leave her to Uncle Alvin." he smiled drawing his sword.

"If you interfere you too will die." Thanatos growled, and then charged to battle Alvin.

Alvin made her look like a joke compared to how much she talks. He seamlessly evaded her swings and hit back like a bus knocking her around. She unleashed a giant shadow sphere at him and he cut right through it and dropkicked Thanatos into the water. She surfaces and spit water as Alvin aimed his gun at her.

"Now that you've had an attitude adjustment, come out of there so we can have a nice heart-to-heart chat." Alvin ordered with a serious look.

She reluctantly did so and they went to the Leronde Lodge. She was forced to change into a robe and sit by the fireplace of a room to warm up. She almost looked about ready to cry.

"Now, explain clearly in detail why you're trying to kill Max." Alvin ordered.

"There is a Spirit-made machine… designed to commit the genocide of humanity in the event humans declared war. It was deactivated after the Kresnik Trial was completed, but a group of humans calling themselves Messiah's Disciples has found out that it could be used against Spirits as well… and desire to reprogram it to commit the genocide of Spirits, as punishment for devising such a device. It requires a very specific Spirit to make it operate. The Spirit is missing, and believe that Maxwell knows where it has been hidden. So they plan on using Maxwell's son to force it out of her. If he were dead, then they'd lose their playing chip." Thanatos explained sniffling a bit.

"They wouldn't be able to go after Jude, because he knows a thing or two about self-defense. That would make Max the preferable target. There are other ways of keeping him away from them though. Killing him isn't the only option available." Alvin scolded.

"In death, I can guard him." Thanatos spoke before sneezing.

"You said you're the Great Spirit of Death. I'd figured you looked terrifying." Max commented.

"I figured that you would like the form of a beautiful woman… that maybe you'd be more open to the idea if I appealed to you." Thanatos sighed.

"That's taking together forever a little too seriously." Alvin joked.

"I had to do something… no one else will believe me about the threat Xanadu poses." Thanatos sighed.

"Xanadu? Is that its name?" Max asked.

"Yes. It was given that name because it would create an ideal paradise for Spirits once the humans were gone." Thanatos explained.

"Hmm… so does this Messiah's Disciples group have a base of operations?" Alvin asked.

"They made a base where a meteorite crashed in the Fezebel Marsh. It's well hidden behind naturally formed stone walls." Thanatos replied.

"Hmm. I see. Milla will definitely want to put a stop to that before we have another Exodus on our hands. Thanatos, I'm going to gather some friends. You're going to lead us to their base." Alvin ordered.

"A head on assault?!" Thanatos asked in shock.

"Yeah, it's kind of our thing. Don't go trying to kill Max while I'm making some calls." Alvin spoke before leaving the room.

"That's Uncle Alvin for you…" Max smiled with a sigh.

"Maximillian… I must apologize for my behavior…" Thanatos sighed.

"Just Max is fine. I dealt with the remains of Exodus still attempting things when I was still real small, so I'm used to people trying to kill me." Max chuckled rubbing the back of his head.

"Max… how do you think the Spirit that controls Xanadu is feeling right now?" Thanatos asked.

"Probably scared out of her mind. She's only known destruction since her birth, right? To be suddenly rendered weaponless and be told she can't kill anything has to be a huge culture shock, right?" Max replied.

"You're probably right. Adjusting to a new lifestyle is never easy." Thanatos smiled.

"Were they the ones behind my workplace blowing up too?" Max asked.

"Indeed. They wanted to scare you into fleeing the city so no one could see them kidnap you. Luckily it failed. Then what transpired between us happened." Thanatos nodded.

"Okay. They'll be here within the hour." Alvin spoke as he reentered the room.

"That quick?" Thanatos asked.

"A lot of 'em were closer than I thought." Alvin nodded.

"Then, I will hope you can stop them…" Thanatos sighed.

"No worries. Max, you're to wait here while we take care of business." Alvin ordered.

"No, I totally planned on going to the one place I would be the least helpful." Max joked.

"Heh. When you were a kid you always wanted to go when we went somewhere." Alvin chuckled.

"I grew up." Max smiled.

Soon Elise, Milla, Jude, and Muzet arrived at Leronde. Milla and Jude doubled the command for Max to remain there. Soon after they all set out leaving Max in Leronde. He waited at his grandparents' place, as instructed. A full three days passed, and not a word was heard. Max waited all the same for their return.

On the fifth day as Max was out on a walk he felt something watching him. He walked a small bit out of town before turning to face his pursuer. Standing there was a woman with long golden hair wearing a black suit-like uniform wielding a katana. She had odd blue veins near her left eye.

"If you want a job done right… set up a distraction." the woman chuckled.

"I take it you're with the Messiah's Disciples?" Max asked.

"Is that what those morons are calling themselves now? Priceless." she spoke with a chuckle.

"What? What's that mean?" Max asked nervously.

"Those people are just people who believe I am for humans ruling Spirits… my name is Messiah." she explained with a grin.

"Messiah… Messiah's Disciples… guess that should have been simple enough…" Max laughed nervously.

"You, Maximillian Maxwell… are my key to taking revenge." Messiah spoke grinning.

"Revenge?" Max asked.

"I'm like you, Maximillian… half human… half Spirit… but the difference is both abandoned me! Labeled me as a monster! So now I'll show them just what a real monster looks like… wherever they are… they will know just what a mistake they've made." Messiah growled.

"Kinda stereotypical, no offense…" Max shrugged.

"Shut up!" she roared swinging at him forcing him to leap to the side.

"C-Come on, you have to admit, that's pretty common motivation…" Max spoke nervously.

"Silence!" she roared and began to chase him.

She relentlessly chased him until he ran into the Old Vicalle Mine. There was no other way out of there, plus there were monsters dwelling within. It'd only be a matter of time before he had to come back out. Inside, Max walked the passages wary of monsters. He stumbled upon skeletons that unnerved him, but he kept going. Surely he'd find some way to outwit Messiah. In the deep parts of the cave he found a somewhat beaten up sword lying on the ground. Its guard and blade seemed to be in working order so he took it up for self-defense. Even if he knew next to nothing about using a sword it was better than being unarmed.

After an hour, he began to get hungry. Begrudgingly, he checked back at the entrance for her. She had pitched a full tent and camp fire and was roasting a Chirpy she'd hunted. The smell tempted him to surrender, but he knew she planned on taking his head or worse. So he was forced to wait until nightfall. He was tired and hungry, but he could see her boredom getting to her too. He waited and waited… until her head slumped and she was visibly asleep. He knew there was the risk of her faking it, but at this point he had to try.

He snuck out and hugged the wall using the darkness in case she woke up. Once he was a good distance from her camp site and could see the lights of Leronde, he made a run for it. The worst that could happen was a monster coming out of nowhere and that'd be the end of him. The second worst thing that could have happened, happened. He tripped on a sleeping monster in the darkness startling it from its sleep letting out a loud roar spooking Messiah from her sleep.

In a panic, Max continued to run for it with the monster in close pursuit roaring and snapping at him. Messiah could be heard roaring after them with her weapon at the ready. Max made it into town and two soldiers in black combat uniforms stepped in after he went by. The female blasted the monster with a rifle of sorts that dropped it in an instant. Messiah swung at the male but he blocked her with tonfa and then quickly rendered her unconscious.

"Whew… thanks for the save…" Max told them trying to catch his breath.

"This him?" the female soldier asked.

"Would we have bothered saving him if he weren't?" the male replied.

"Fair point." she shrugged.

"You're looking for me? Why?" Max asked slowly regaining his stamina.

"Reasons." the male replied before promptly knocking him unconscious.

Max dreamt while he was unconscious, but this dream was unlike any other. He was in the middle of Marksburg. The entire bridge was on fire, and soldiers of two factions were fighting. In the flames he could see his mother fighting a pitch black male figure wielding a spear. Gaius was fighting a muscular male figure who appeared to have horns. The aftermaths of the fights were too much for him. He cried out for it to stop, and he sprang awake in the hold of a ship with his hands and feet bound with rope.

"Keep it down. Some of us are trying to think." a deep male voice spoke from the dark of the hold as chains softly rattled.

"Who's there…? Where am I…?" Max asked in fear of the man he couldn't see.

"You're obviously on a ship, and I don't see a point in telling you who I am without you introducing yourself first." the voice replied.

"Okay… wise guy… I'm Maximillian Mathis, and specifically which ship are we on?" Max asked with a heavy sigh.

"The S.S. Kana, an Elympian freighter. It's overrun with New Exodus personnel that have been masquerading as that Messiah girl's fan club so she takes the heat for their crimes. If you must know who I am… my name is Eligor, Chieftain of the Eastern Beastial Tribe." the voice spoke.

"Beastial? As in the mythical half-human half-monster Beastial?" Max asked.

"Is it so strange to you humans that something you believed to be a myth is a real species on this planet? We recluse ourselves for this exact reason… I try to change things, share our culture, those of you who wish to use us come and try to force me to turn my kind on the other tribes. This leads knowledge of us to fall into obscurity and thus we become myths and legends…" he replied.

"My mom used to read me stories about Beastials when I was a little kid. I'd always wanted to meet one… under very different circumstances, of course." Max explained with a chuckle.

"Well, you can't see very much down here. Can I count on your help taking this ship over?" Eligor asked.

"I'd be an anchor at best… I found this sword, but don't know how to use it…" Max admitted laughing nervously.

"Then take a proverb of my people, Maximillian Mathis. 'If you cannot fly with the birds, then walk with the herd'. In your terms, it is akin to 'learn on your own'." Eligor told him.

"Well… I won't kill anyone… but I'll at least try to render them unable to fight." Max spoke, and Eligor grunted soon followed by the sounds of clattering chains. Heavy footsteps came toward Max, and all of a sudden he found himself free of his bindings.

"When I open the door, don't scream when you see my figure." Eligor ordered, and then he grunted again with a metal door being ripped off its hinges by him.

The light revealed Eligor to be tall, muscular, and tan. He had long wild purple hair, black horns sticking up through his hair, black fingernails sharpened like claws, and toenails that were the same way. He was barefoot and wore black hide pants with a sort of tunic made of a similar material bearing bead embroidery. The other noticeable feature he had were that his bottom canines were large and stuck up out of his mouth like tusks. He was indeed a Beastial, told of in legends and myth.

"Those New Exodus vermin greatly underestimate the strength of my people. Come, Maximillian Mathis." Eligor ordered and Max stood up.

"Eligor, don't you have a weapon?" Max asked.

"Beastials learn to be efficient with any weapon they can find. If we can't find one, we use martial arts. We're expert hunters, after all. To be honest, I prefer to use my fists as my weapon." Eligor replied chuckling.

"I see. So your race has lived in a tribal system for generations, and that's led to advanced combat knowledge." Max spoke thoughtfully.

"Our target will be the bridge. Let us go." Eligor ordered.

The duo then made their way for the deck. They immediately found resistance from New Exodus soldiers. Max more or less flailed with his sword as Eligor skillfully bashed and beat up his share. They continued on and fought more soldiers until finally they reached the deck. Two very muscular members charged, and Eligor leapt back planting all four limbs on the ground appearing to be preparing to charge.

"Eligor, what are you doing?!" Max asked backing up in fear of the two men.

"Primal Roar!" Eligor shouted and then unleashed an extremely loud roar sending powerful red shock waves at the soldiers kicking them off their feet and overboard into the ocean.

"That… that was an Arte wasn't it?!" Max asked in wonder as Eligor stood up.

"It is an Arte passed down among chieftains in my tribe. It is normally used as a means of restoring order among rebellious members of the tribe, or to calm down the people in times of panic, but if used right it can be a powerful offensive Arte." Eligor explained with a grin.

"Well, well… guess I should have used stronger chains." a female voice spoke, and they looked to the top of the pilot room.

Standing there was a woman with very long red hair wearing a New Exodus uniform, but it looked closer to a suit than a military uniform. She seemed to be unarmed, but she still left an intimidating impression on Max. Eligor growled readying for combat as the woman grinned.

"Eligor of the Eastern Tribe and Maximillian Mathis… you two are far too valuable to let escape… so I'll have you detained by one of my adorable little sisters' creations. Have at them, BC-42!" she commanded, and a large robot designed to be simian in appearance leapt down from nowhere.

A battle raged as Eligor went for a head-on charge, but Max found himself useless in the fight. What could he do against a machine? He saw how Eligor fearlessly attacked it when his moves seemed to do nothing. In fact, he seemed to be trying to find a weak spot in its construction. Max sighed, and rushed in to try and help. Just as he expected, his sword only bounced off, but he kept trying. His aim was to hit something in the joints of the mech.

Max managed to cut something in the back of its hamstring that made sparks fly as the mech got slugged in the face by Eligor causing it to fall over. It seemed to roar in anger as it kicked Eligor into a steel container and knocked Max to the railing of the boat barely catching himself on it. It got back up and actually did roar as its eye sockets began to emit a red light making flames erupt from its exhaust pipes.

The mech moves faster now, and was actively beating them around the ship. Max could barely see straight after being forced to backflip from being kicked. He saw how much Eligor was being hurt and tried to stand when a hand touched his shoulder. All of a sudden static could be felt in the air as a harsh wind blew by. Then a purple magic circle began to form underneath BX-42.

"I who formed a pact with Volt command thee, who opens the gates of hell, bring forth divine lightning… this ends now… Indignation!" a male voice commanded in a booming voice, and then the circle shot up bars keeping BX-42 from moving… and seconds later a tremendous lightning blast struck BX-42 making it howl as its parts were electrocuted and then the mech itself exploded.

The smoke cleared, and Max looked up. There he saw a slender man with slightly long well-kept brown hair wearing a red and black military uniform. Max would recognize the insignia on his back anywhere – he was from the Rashugal Military! The man smiled gently as he brushed his bangs to the side with his hand. On his back was a spear, and that made it click in Max's mind. These two were the ones he saw in his dream! They seemed like nice people though… why would they fight his mother and King Gaius to the death?

"You… you're Rashugal Military…" Max spoke, and the man helped him up as Eligor approached.

"Lieutenant Adam T. Spring, Rashugal Covert Investigation Force, at your service. I was asked to investigate a freighter that was recently reported as stolen. I would have passed right on by if I hadn't seen the commotion. So I guess I have you two to thank for finding it." he introduced himself.

"New Exodus is in control of the boat. Chances are they're mustering their forces now." Eligor told him.

"So there's still a little cleanup work to be done. Very well. I'll employ your help as you two were prisoners until recently." Adam sighed.

"How'd you know?" Max asked.

"You're Maximillian Mathis, supposedly abducted from Leronde precisely six hours ago. General Ilbert had finding and rescuing you made priority number one. You must be very close to him to earn that honor." Adam explained.

"Then let's clean house…" Eligor growled, and the three worked together to take out the remaining New Exodus forces… but no sign of the woman.

Max looked at the way Adam fought and saw that he had a style that required very precise gestures with the spear to pull off. The slightest error would lead to the spear going off course or even leaving his hands. It must have taken years to master it the way he has. Max was a child playing with a wood stick in comparison. After it was all over, out of a crew of 100 only 20 were arrested… because the rest had been killed by Adam and Eligor.

"Max, we're out of fuel to reach the mainland with so wait here, we're going to contact the mainland." Adam ordered, and he and Eligor went to the control room.

Max waited for them as he was ordered. A little time passed, and he heard armor clanking. He turned and a female New Exodus soldier was there breathing heavily.

"You bastards…" she growled.

"S-Stay back…" Max ordered shakily drawing his sword.

"Die!" she roared leaping at him and Max closed his eyes swinging his sword at her.

He heard a cut sound, and when he opened his eyes her neck was slashed open and blood was fountaining out. She fell to her knees, and then to the deck making the deck begin to be stained red. Max backed up dropping his sword and then fell over shaking. He couldn't register what he'd done. The fountain had dowsed him in the life essence of another person. He'd killed someone…

"The first is always the hardest." Adam spoke making Max slowly look at him trying not to cry.

"I… I killed… her…" Max stuttered.

"It was you or her. Neither Eligor nor I would have made it in time. You decided she would die instead of you, so now her blood stains the deck of the ship. How you live on, to show that you were the one who should have lived, is entirely up to you." Adam spoke and then he took off her helmet to show her face to Max who began shedding tears.

"Remember her face, Max. Always remember the faces of those you've killed. It will haunt you, it will bring you horrid nightmares… but that is to remind you of your mortality. To remind you that you have to live on to honor their sacrifice for their cause. I've never forgotten a face that I've taken the life of, and it's made me a better man. She will never have children. She'll never fall in love. She's given that up so you could live, Max, don't ever forget that." Adam spoke in a serious tone.

Not long after that, a boat from the mainland came and towed the boat to land. Max was silent curled up against a wall the entire time. Once they were at Marksburg Bay, Rowen boarded the ship.

"Lieutenant, report." Rowen ordered, and Adam stood at attention.

"I discovered the ship after Maximillian Mathis and Eligor turned on their captors. I aided in the success of that endeavor, and also found the ship to be the one I was ordered to find. I contacted the mainland with Eligor's help, and a soldier attacked Maximillian forcing his hand to take a life." Adam reported, and Rowen gave a sympathetic look at Max before walking to him.

"That must have been traumatic for you." Rowen spoke, and Max stood hugging Rowen.

"There, there. Taking someone's life is never easy. Sometimes we do not get the luxury of choice, I'm afraid." Rowen spoke consoling him.

"Rowen… do you know what happened to mom and dad?" Max asked.

"I was about to tell you about that. We found them near an abandoned facility horridly wounded along with Alvin, Muzet, and Elise. They'll be all right, but healing artes can only do so much about broken bones. They'll have to finish recovering on their own. Whatever they encountered, it was no ordinary enemy. They're in Helioborg at the moment." Rowen replied.

"Shall I interrogate the prisoners to learn what they hid there?" Adam asked.

"Please do, and be thorough. If we can learn anything, we must." Rowen ordered.

Max went with Rowen to Helioborg. A strong wind blew as they approached it, and from the sky a large mech of some sort descended. The lower half consisted of a large torso using jets to fly bearing rocket launchers on the back and two massive arms protruding from the sides. The upper half resembled a human-sized female person with extremely long black hair dressed in a white leotard held in by her thighs with her arms bound across her chest. She had a deadpan expression as she stared at Max and Rowen.

"What in blazes…?" Rowen asked confused.

"I am… Xanadu…? K-Kill… all life…" the woman muttered in a pained way, and then began swinging her lower half's arms at them making them dodge.

"Is this what attacked Jude and the others?" Rowen asked readying for battle.

"She looks like she's in pain." Max observed.

"Indeed, that machine looks very uncomfortable. Break the arms if possible and then attempt to break her out of that seat." Rowen commanded, and they rushed toward it.

The mech half swung violently at them while launching rockets. Both were careful while evading the arms. Rowen launched Arte after Arte at it drawing its attention. This allowed Max to leap onto the back of it and begin climbing. He cut the wires to the rocket launchers disabling them to make it easier for Rowen to cast. Rowen then froze the hands to the ground and ran up the left to join Max at the cockpit where they began striking the base to eventually break the woman free and leap off as the mech half powered down falling to the ground.

"That wasn't too terrible… if we could handle it, there is no reason the others would have had this much trouble. I imagine that there is more than one of these Xanadu contraptions flying about, and they had the unfortunate experience of facing more than one at once." Rowen observed dusting himself off.

"Rowen, she's unconscious." Max pointed out holding the woman.

"Take her inside. We need to examine her, and see what she knows." Rowen ordered and they proceeded inside.

While the scientists would run diagnostics on the woman, Max went to see Milla and Jude. Both were lying down in a bed with many bandages on them. At the very least they were recovering all right.

"Mom. Dad." Max greeted them with a smile.

"Max. Heard about the boat incident from Rowen's messenger pigeon. Sorry you had to go through that." Jude sighed.

"You went through your own trouble, too." Max chuckled.

"We heard a commotion outside… what happened?" Milla asked.

"Well, this mech thing attacked me and Rowen. We removed this woman from it and the thing went volatile. She's being tested for any information." Max explained.

"Mech… woman… so they're roaming around looking for targets now. There were eight of them total… we didn't stand a chance." Jude groaned.

"Eight? We only took out the one, so that leaves seven…" Max sighed.

"You don't need to worry about them. We'll get better and then we'll take care of it." Milla chuckled.

"Mom… do you know about a group called New Exodus?" Mas asked.

"Excuse me, 'New' Exodus? Please tell me they're for a good cause…" Milla groaned.

"Well… they're using that Messiah woman as a patsy for whatever it is they're trying to do. I'm sure that they're behind those Xanadu things too." Max told her.

"Xanadu… all eight of them called themselves Xanadu. I don't understand it… who is Xanadu?" Jude asked himself staring at the ceiling.

"I've never heard of it that's for sure." Milla sighed.

"They're scanning the woman we got out of it, so maybe she'll yield some answers to these questions." Max nodded, and then Gaius entered.

"I came as soon as I could. Jude, Maxwell, are you both all right?" he asked.

"We'll be fine, Gaius." Jude smiled.

"It might take a while to recover, but in due time we'll be on our feet again." Milla assured him.

"I spoke with Alvin and Elise already. Neither think they'll be in fighting condition for at least a few months at best." Gaius sighed.

"I see. We might take that long too. At least three of my ribs are broken. Milla's injuries aren't much better." Jude told him.

"Hmm. Max, come with me." Gaius commanded, and Max followed him to the lab where the woman is being examined.

"Max. Rowen tells me you've been forced to take the life of a New Exodus soldier. Is that true?" Gaius asked staring into the observation window.

"I… I don't like remembering it… I start shaking just thinking about it…" Max admitted.

"Good. Don't ever forget that fear of taking someone's life. It will serve as the principle for fighting against your fellow man, but while understanding that their life does matter even if you have no choice but to end it." Gaius told him and Max gave a shocked look.

"What do you mean?" Max asked confused.

"Jude, Maxwell, Alvin, Muzet, and Elise cannot fight as they are now. It's high time that you learned to properly defend yourself with that sword." Gaius explained.

"I… it's just… I know you're right… but… please try to take the lessons easy on me…" Max sighed nervously.

"You're a fast learner… so no." Gaius smiled putting a hand on his shoulder making Max smile a bit.

"Max, you're going to want to hear this…" Balan spoke walking into the room from the testing lab.

"What is it?" Gaius asked.

"Am I interrupting something?" Balan asked confused.

"No. Go ahead and tell us." Max urged him.

"Well… I can tell you that this woman isn't Xanadu. None of those women trapped in mech bodies are. In fact, Xanadu isn't even in our dimension." Balan explained.

"Then why say they are?" Max asked.

"It's the mechs. They're pumped with energy taken directly from the real Xanadu. They originally planned the mechs to be their trump cards in forcing global changes… but it backfired. The energy made them act like a hive mind bent on annihilating all life as we know it. The real Xanadu is manipulating them, in other words." Balan replied.

"That's bad for human and Spirit relations. If it doesn't come from our world, chances are that it's Spirit-made." Gaius reasoned.

"I asked the woman what she knew about Xanadu, but all she could tell me was that it was a doomsday weapon that can only be piloted by a Spirit by the name of Freyja." Balan told them.

"How did New Exodus even learn about this Freyja and that it pilots a doomsday weapon?" Max asked.

"Even she doesn't know. Apparently New Exodus's top brass are very secretive and members only know what they need to at any given time." Balan sighed shaking his head.

"Sounds like your typical 'destroy a world that doesn't fit our views' plot to me." Gaius growled.

"Or maybe they plan to use Xanadu as a threat once they figure out a way to bring it into our world." Max reasoned.

"Max, your lessons start immediately. Come with me to the courtyard." Gaius ordered, and Max followed him there.

There Max began training to use the sword with Gaius's instruction. It was challenging for Max since he didn't use two-handed swords like Gaius, but he managed to translate that to the one-handed style he was using. For hours Max trained under Gaius. Max's learning curve helped him significantly when it came to putting what he was taught to practice sparring with Gaius. He was no match for Gaius, but it was clear that he was understanding the principles he was learning. For several days Gaius trained Max to better himself in combat ranging from the drilling him on the basics to having him make his own Artes to gain the edge on the enemy. Max's Spirit blood made it very easy for his Artes to suddenly change element mid-way through. He was particularly proud of the "Scalding Earth" Arte he'd made. It sinks the enemy into a crater of scalding hot water before being launched skyward by stalagmites. It's a very good thing Helioborg's medical staff were willing to treat injuries from sparring.

After a full week of training, Gaius believed Max was ready to begin helping out. He could fight more than competently now and had a small arsenal of Artes at his disposal. That same day, Thanatos arrived at Helioborg. She looked ashamed for some reason.

"Where have you been? You led them there didn't you?" Max asked.

"I… I have a confession to make…" Thanatos sighed.

"Out with it." Gaius ordered.

"I knew… about the fake Xanadu mechs when I took them there… it's what I tried to warn them about, but I let Alvin's confidence make me believe that they had a fighting chance against them… especially once I saw that Maxwell was among their party. Their injuries' severity is my fault… I could have warped them out of harm's way… but I wimped out and only warped myself." Thanatos admitted.

"So what gave you the courage to come here?" Gaius spoke with a hand on his sword hilt.

"I came… because the fake Xanadu's are wreaking havoc on the world! They believe they're the real deal so they're trying to carry out the genocide of both humans and Spirits! Settlements are under attack! People and Spirits are dying!" Thanatos warned.

"The situation has grown worse then. Max, it's time to put your training to the test. Thanatos, which settlements are being attacked right now?" Gaius asked.

"Nia Khera and Duval are the ones I know of. The Elympian military is currently stalling theirs, but Nia Khera is deep sixed if they don't get help soon." Thanatos replied.

"Thanatos and I will go to Nia Khera. Gaius, can I trust Duval to you and Rowen?" Max asked, and Gaius looked shocked for a second before giving a confident smile.

"Leave it to us." Gaius assured him.

"Me?" she asked.

"You ran away when mom and dad could have used your help, and you withheld critical need-to-know information. So take responsibility by helping me clean up New Exodus's mess." Max told her, and she nodded nervously.

Max and Thanatos began to make for Nia Khera while Gaius and Rowen made way for Duval. They could only pray that they weren't too late. The Xanadu threat was now known, and New Exodus was heading the charge. What do they want? Why do they desire to use the doomsday machine? The questions could only be answered by stopping their false weapons and taking them out.

End Chapter 2 


End file.
